Buca, Inc. is an industry leader in terms of growth in the number of restaurants it oversees. The company owns and operates 51 full service, dinner-only restaurants under the name Buca di Beppo. Its restaurants are located in 18 states as well as the District of Columbia. Buca di Beppo (meaning 'Joe's basement') restaurants differentiate from other Italian restaurant chains by providing distinctive oversized Southern Italian family style portions in a casual, festive, humorous, socially interactive atmosphere. Appealing to nostalgic trends, the décor at each of Buca's restaurants irreverently exaggerates the clichés of traditional postwar neighborhood Italian/American restaurants. In terms of scale, Buca thinks big: large food portions, large tables, and large restaurant size with an average seating capacity of 300.

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Penne alla Caprese

The Penne alla Caprese is only on the menu for a limited time at Buca di Beppo. The dish features fresh mozzarella, ripe cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, fresh basil, olive oil and garlic over pasta. This site has a video cooking demonstration from one of the chefs at the restaurant which will show you how to make this dish at home.

Ingredients

1 ounce of olive oil

1 Tablespoon of garlic, chopped

1/8 teaspoon of red pepper, crushed

2 cups of grape tomatos, sliced in half

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of whole black pepper

1/4 cup of Kalamata olives, sliced in half

1 ounce of olive oil

16 oz penne pasta, cooked

1 1/2 cups of fresh mozzarella, cubed

2 Tablespoon of basil, chopped

Directions

See Video Below

Place 1 oz of garlic into the heated sauté pan.

Turn the flame down to medium and add the chopped garlic and red chili flakes.

Sauté the garlic until it starts to turn brown and then add the tomatoes.

Add the salt, pepper and olives and toss gently as to not break up the tomatoes, return to the heat for 1 minute.

Add the pasta and toss, then add the olive oil, and toss until the oil is evenly distributed throughout the pasta.

Add half of the basil and toss.

Place the pasta in a bowl and evenly distribute the cubed mozzarella over the top.